# Aussies - nice pick on your PM! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 7, 2011, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-nice-pick-on-your-pm/573833 "2011-03-07T20:50:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Agnostic\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@Agnostic\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agnostic_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-nice-pick-on-your-pm/573833/1 "2011-03-07T20:50:27Z")
Currently watching the press conference with the Australian PM [Julia Gillard](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Gillard) and Obama. No idea on her politics, except that she is Labour, but she is a looker. My other political crush is [Christine Lagarde](Christine Lagarde) - the finance minister for France. I first saw her on the Daily Show, and she was sharp as a tack, and looking very good for her age. Beauty and brains! I know it is totally shallow to judge a politician on their looks, but I do it anyway. Voting is still based on policies, but nice lookers are always an added bonus. And I’ve never trusted politicians that could not find a good barber. I mean if you devote yourself to public service, at least try to look your best for them. I think it had no small part in Obama’s rise also. I’ve heard plenty of comments from women, such that Michelle better watch her back. (And she ain’t bad herself.) So proceed to flame if you wish, but I just wanted to say good job Down Under 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![A.Gwilliam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@A.Gwilliam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.Gwilliam)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-nice-pick-on-your-pm/573833/2 "2011-03-07T22:22:31Z")
> [@Agnostic\_Pagan](#): > > she is Labour \ In Australia, the party traditionally representing labour spells it “Labor”! \ ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-nice-pick-on-your-pm/573833/3 "2011-03-07T22:33:44Z")
> [@A.Gwilliam](#): > > \ > In Australia, the party traditionally representing labour spells it “Labor”! > \ Yes, it’s the [Australian Labor Party](http://www.alp.org.au/) – known as such for at least 100 years, because of either U.S. influence or a desire for spelling reform. There’s also the [Democratic Labor Party](http://www.dlp.org.au/), which split off from the ALP in the 1950s, and used to have some political significance. However, outside this political context, the normal spelling in Australia is “labour”. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-nice-pick-on-your-pm/573833/4 "2011-03-07T22:38:30Z")
Currently three of the six Australian states have a woman as premier – though that’s likely to change later this month, since Ms Keneally will almost certainly lose the forthcoming election in NSW. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-nice-pick-on-your-pm/573833/5 "2011-03-07T22:46:54Z")
Not only a woman but also a ranga, living in sin and an atheist. God bless Australia!! ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-nice-pick-on-your-pm/573833/6 "2011-03-07T23:06:17Z")
About the time of the election (last year) an anti-Labor sticker went up in my neighborhood. It read “Fat-arse Julia Out!” Of all the things you could chose to gripe at her for… 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Agnostic\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@Agnostic\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agnostic_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-nice-pick-on-your-pm/573833/7 "2011-03-07T23:49:17Z")
> [@A.Gwilliam](#): > > \ > In Australia, the party traditionally representing labour spells it “Labor”! > \ I knew that, but I have a bad habit of using British/English spelling for ‘or’ words - behaviour, colour, etc. Too many years reading British comic book authours I think. American spell-checks hate me, so I have added them to most of mine. [QUOTE=sisu] Not only a woman but also a ranga, living in sin and an atheist. God bless Australia!! [/QUOTE] Okay, now I love her - and you mates for electing her! I can’t wait to hear her address the House. I wonder if they know that about her (except for the ranga bit, that’s a tad obvious.) PS why do you Aussies make immigration so difficult? Only 30 or 40 million americans would jump ship and head south.😉 ---
**Author:** ![A.Gwilliam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@A.Gwilliam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.Gwilliam)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-nice-pick-on-your-pm/573833/8 "2011-03-08T00:00:07Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > Yes, it’s the [Australian Labor Party](http://www.alp.org.au/) – known as such for at least 100 years, because of either U.S. influence or a desire for spelling reform. There’s also the [Democratic Labor Party](http://www.dlp.org.au/), which split off from the ALP in the 1950s, and used to have some political significance. I have it in my head that the ALP formally adopted the American spelling in 1924. I’ll admit to having no idea whether that was a change reflecting general usage by their supporters, or was at the van of the change. And that’s quite apart from whatever the state parties were doing…! > [@](#): > > However, outside this political context, the normal spelling in Australia is “labour”. That’s why I deliberately used both spellings in the same sentence! 🙂 Mind you, there’s at least a definite tendency for some Australians to use the spelling “harbor”. It’s never occurred to me until now to wonder if that also means they’d use “labor”, “color”, etc. in general usage. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-nice-pick-on-your-pm/573833/9 "2011-03-08T01:37:47Z")
> [@Agnostic\_Pagan](#): > > Okay, now I love her - and you mates for electing her! I can’t wait to hear her address the House. I wonder if they know that about her (except for the ranga bit, that’s a tad obvious.) Yep we knew all that before the election, we just don’t give a shit. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-nice-pick-on-your-pm/573833/10 "2011-03-08T01:52:40Z")
And lest we forget that she’s childless by choice too. Comes up trumps on _all_ accounts. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Noel\_Prosequi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b19c9b/32.png) [@Noel\_Prosequi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noel_Prosequi)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-nice-pick-on-your-pm/573833/11 "2011-03-08T02:46:30Z")
Um… about her addressing the House… she has quite possibly the worst Australian accent of any public figure of recent minting. Horrible nasal drawling horror. And that’s after speech lessons, apparently. I realise this has no bearing on her capacity as a PM. But it sounds terrible. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-nice-pick-on-your-pm/573833/12 "2011-03-08T02:49:21Z")
> [@Agnostic\_Pagan](#): > > … but she is a looker. I think you need to get out more. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-nice-pick-on-your-pm/573833/13 "2011-03-08T03:22:39Z")
> [@Agnostic\_Pagan](#): > > PS why do you Aussies make immigration so difficult? Only 30 or 40 million americans would jump ship and head south.😉 You answered your own question, there 😃 ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-nice-pick-on-your-pm/573833/14 "2011-03-08T03:31:07Z")
> [@Noel\_Prosequi](#): > > Um… about her addressing the House… she has quite possibly the worst Australian accent of any public figure of recent minting. Horrible nasal drawling horror. And that’s after speech lessons, apparently. > > I realise this has no bearing on her capacity as a PM. But it sounds terrible. Gotta agree with you **Noel** , it does grate on one’s sensibilities. But given her other redeeming features, we might let that one slide, yes? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-nice-pick-on-your-pm/573833/15 "2011-03-08T03:58:05Z")
> [@Noel\_Prosequi](#): > > Um… about her addressing the House… she has quite possibly the worst Australian accent of any public figure of recent minting. Horrible nasal drawling horror. And that’s after speech lessons, apparently. > > I realise this has no bearing on her capacity as a PM. But it sounds terrible. I agree and her use of “moving forward” aaarghhh I voted Labor but she is still has an annoying voice! ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-nice-pick-on-your-pm/573833/16 "2011-03-08T03:59:25Z")
> [@sisu](#): > > Not only a woman but also a ranga, living in sin and an atheist. > [@kambuckta](#): > > And lest we forget that she’s childless by choice too. > > Comes up trumps on _all_ accounts. Add Welsh born immigrant (a 10 pound Pom?) . But a looker? She has the grin of a well fed shark. Of course the truely unforgiveable thing about Julia is that she prevented the country from having the option of taking a coarse wire brush to Kevin Rudd in June 2010 and now has him cavorting about on the world stage as foreign minister. And with Labor now at record lows in the opinion polls and the factional overlords like Howes, Arbib and Swan rechecking their numbers she might be gone sooner than you think. ---
**Author:** ![Agnostic\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@Agnostic\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agnostic_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-nice-pick-on-your-pm/573833/17 "2011-03-08T03:59:44Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I think you need to get out more. In comparison to her peers, she is a [knockout](http://departingasap.blogspot.com/2010/08/australian-election-results.html). Compared to women her age, she holds up quite nicely too. [QUOTE=Princhester] You answered your own question, there 😃 [/QUOTE] But you have so much space! We’ll promise to play football by your rules. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-nice-pick-on-your-pm/573833/18 "2011-03-08T04:18:08Z")
> [@Agnostic\_Pagan](#): > > In comparison to her peers, she is a [knockout](http://departingasap.blogspot.com/2010/08/australian-election-results.html). Compared to women her age, she holds up quite nicely too. Admittedly, I’d pick her over Ka-Daffy. But that’s still a seriously butt-ugly woman, looks like a Simpsons character, although I’m sure she has a nice personality. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-nice-pick-on-your-pm/573833/19 "2011-03-08T07:32:37Z")
> [@A.Gwilliam](#): > > \ > In Australia, the party traditionally representing labour spells it “Labor”! > \ Ya know why? It’s because Australians aren’t familiar with the concept of Labour ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-nice-pick-on-your-pm/573833/20 "2011-03-08T07:36:29Z")
> [@sisu](#): > > Not only a woman but also a ranga, living in sin and an atheist. God bless Australia!! Yeah, we’re a liberated lot down under. Recently in the NZ govt the top three spots were held by women. But I wish our female PM had had even half the looks of Ms Julia. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-nice-pick-on-your-pm/573833.md?page=2)